Impossible Lovers

Zheng Baozhu held the doll in her hand and confirmed that it was indeed from the hotel's claw machine. The delivery robot stood on the opposite side and prompted, "Dear guest, please remember to close the door after collecting your takeaway."

Zheng Baozhu took out the packaged rose, pressed the door lock button, and after the robot closed the door, it spun around and proceeded on its way while speaking. Zheng Baozhu closed the door, holding the rose and doll as she walked back into her room.

She wondered who sent these gifts. Was it Tan Yao?

Thinking of Tan Yao's playful nature, Zheng Baozhu shook her head slightly. It couldn't be him; he would have made a big fuss about it in the lobby with a loudspeaker if he was the one who caught the doll. This unique way of delivering the gifts seemed more like something Qu Zhi would come up with.

But Qu Zhi? That seemed far-fetched even to Zheng Baozhu herself. However, she couldn't think of anyone else who might have done it. Just as she was pondering over this, Tan Yao called her.

Picking up the phone, Zheng Baozhu raised an eyebrow and answered, "Mr. Tan, is there something you need?"

Tan Yao complained on the other end, "My dad just nagged at me like he was urging me to my death. I guess I'll come help you catch dolls next time."

"No need for that," Zheng Baozhu replied, glancing at the doll in her hand; indeed, it wasn't Tan Yao who caught it.

Tan Yao continued, "Today is really embarrassing. My dad won't let me celebrate foreign festivals. I'll come see you next time on New Year's Day. He won't have anything to say then!"

"...You should probably listen to your dad," Zheng Baozhu suggested.

Tan Yao clicked his tongue on the phone, "All he does is scold me every day. I just don't understand. If he thinks I can't do anything right, why does he keep me tied to the company? But forget about him. I've ordered a Christmas cake for you; it should be delivered soon. Remember to eat it."

Zheng Baozhu blinked, and she told Tan Yao, "Tan Yao, I don't have feelings for you like that."

Tan Yao was caught off guard by Zheng Baozhu's refusal and all he could think of was "I'm not listening, I'm not listening".

"Don't say it so absolutely! You haven't discovered my charm yet!" Tan Yao tried to defend himself with some force, "I won't talk to you anymore; I'm driving now. Don't throw away the cake!"

After saying this, Tan Yao hung up without giving Zheng Baozhu a chance to respond.

Zheng Baozhu put down the phone in speechlessness and looked at the doll in her hand again. Could it be Qu Zhi who sent it?

She placed the doll in a specially-made cabinet designed to display dolls, then walked to the bedside and picked up the phone to call the front desk. Xiao Yu answered the call promptly, "Hello, Miss Baozhu, do you need anything?"

Zheng Baozhu asked, "Did you see Qu Zhi using the delivery robot downstairs?"

"Delivery robot?" Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and replied, "No, but Mr. Qu ordered takeaway, and it was delivered by a robot."

"Oh..." Zheng Baozhu thought for a while and said, "I ran out of toothpaste in my room. Can you have the robot bring a box of toothpaste for me?"

"Sure!"

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Baozhu looked around her room and noticed the Christmas candies that were prepared by the restaurant. They were made from fruits and included nuts inside, which she really liked. She picked up a few bags and gently shook one in her hand.

She found a pen on the table, bent down to write a line on the small card of the candy bag, and then waited for the hardworking little robot to deliver the toothpaste.

Zheng Baozhu opened the door for the robot, took the toothpaste out, pressed a few buttons on its interface, and entered the management mode. After setting everything up, she placed the Christmas candies inside the robot and closed the door for it.

Once the robot confirmed the door was closed, it turned and left. Zheng Baozhu saw it heading toward Qu Zhi's room before she went back to her own room and closed the door.

Qu Zhi was busy searching for information when the phone in his room suddenly rang. He answered the call, and indeed, it was the voice of the delivery robot on the other end. The takeaway he ordered had already been delivered, so someone was sending him something else now?

He opened the door for the robot and received a bag of candies from its "belly". There was a small card attached to the candy bag, and Qu Zhi picked it up to read. On the card was a short message - "Thank you for the rose; this is a return gift."

Qu Zhi stood there for a moment and subconsciously glanced in the direction of Zheng Baozhu's room.

At this moment, Zheng Baozhu had already removed her makeup and changed into her bathrobe, with her hair wrapped up. She was about to start her bath when the phone in her room rang again, prompting her to slip on her slippers and rush out.

When she opened the door, she found the delivery robot still standing there.

It seemed exceptionally busy tonight.

Zheng Baozhu opened the robot's storage compartment and found another small card inside. She picked it up and opened it, finding Qu Zhi's handwriting.

"No need to be polite. I came across a flower-selling girl on the way back; she gave me the last one. The candies are delicious."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

There's no need to have the robot run again for these notes!

...Give back the candies!

Zheng Baozhu tossed the card aside and went back to her room to take a bath.

The next day, the restaurant still had some festive atmosphere; the decorations were still up, but yesterday's limited-time dishes were taken off the menu. Zheng Baozhu woke up early and went to the restaurant for breakfast. When Qu Zhi came down, he happened to see Zheng Baozhu and walked over to her.

"Morning," he said, sitting across from Zheng Baozhu with a tray of food. Zheng Baozhu glanced at him and offered a fake smile while holding a spoon, "Morning."

Qu Zhi remained silent for a moment but was then drawn to the red velvet cake on the table, "Where did you get this cake? I didn't see it before."

"Do you want to try it?" Zheng Baozhu sliced a piece of red velvet cake and put it on a plate, passing it to him, "It tastes pretty good."

Qu Zhi picked up a fork and took a bite, "Hmm, but it seems different from the cakes the hotel usually makes. Did they change the chef?"

Zheng Baozhu chuckled and looked at him, "Your taste buds are quite sensitive."

Liag Huihui, who was clearing the dishes nearby, happened to overhear this.

What? Miss Baozhu praised Mr. Qu's sensitive taste buds? What did they do??

Oh, goodness!

She quickly left while carrying the tray.

Meanwhile, Zheng Baozhu sat at the table and said to Qu Zhi, "This cake was sent by Tan Yao last night. I had already brushed my teeth, so I didn't eat it and put it in the fridge. I took it out this morning."

Ahem, cough.

Qu Zhi lightly covered his mouth and coughed twice suddenly.

Zheng Baozhu watched him and asked, "What's wrong? Choking?"

"Cough..." Qu Zhi coughed again and reached for a glass of water, "No, I just suddenly felt a bit choked."

Zheng Baozhu said, "Well, drink more water then."

Qu Zhi silently drank half a glass of water and didn't touch the red velvet cake again.

"Oh, by the way, let me ask you something," Zheng Baozhu ate a piece of cake and inquired, "Does your laboratory's guidance robot, the one developed for the subway station, still need funding for the project?"

Qu Zhi put down the water glass, wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue, and asked, "Why? Are you interested in investing?"

"No," Zheng Baozhu said, "I had previously consulted with Teacher Ge about the tuition fee. He said he didn't want to charge me for teaching. But I didn't want to take advantage of him either. So after discussing with Teacher Ge, he said I could donate the tuition fee for a good cause, and it's up to me what kind of good cause I want to support."

Qu Zhi nodded understandingly and said, "Our project has government funding, so there's currently no problem with funding. If you really want to donate to a good cause, you can donate to organizations that support people with disabilities."

"Oh... alright, I'll go back and think about it," Zheng Baozhu responded and continued eating.

Qu Zhi looked at the large red velvet cake on the table and asked, "Can you finish such a big cake all by yourself?"

"I only had this small piece, the rest is untouched. I'll bring it to Huihui and the others later," Zheng Baozhu replied.

"Okay," Qu Zhi replied nonchalantly and didn't say anything further.

Suddenly, Zheng Baozhu's phone started vibrating like crazy. She looked at the person sending the messages and couldn't help but chuckle.

Cen Tongtong: [Group chat history]

Cen Tongtong: [Group chat history]

Cen Tongtong: What tongue? What sensitivity? It's too scandalous, such a corrupting influence!

Cen Tongtong: How can Qu Zhi, a promising researcher, do such a thing? Is it the extinction of humanity or the decline of morality!

Zheng Baozhu: ........

Zheng Baozhu: Seriously, you should leave the group right away. CP can reduce one's intelligence.

Qu Zhi glanced at Zheng Baozhu, who was tapping her phone, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Baozhu locked her phone with a "pat" and raised her head, smiling at him, "Nothing, hehe."

She absolutely couldn't let Qu Zhi know about the existence of that group. :)

She lowered her head again, pretending to be nonchalant, and continued eating breakfast. Cen Tongtong couldn't provoke any response, so she went straight to Qu Zhi's side.

Qu Zhi looked at the flood of chat history that Cen Tongtong sent over and fell into deep contemplation.

Zheng Baozhu thought he was troubled by something related to his research project, so she asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with your research project?"

"It's not my research project," Qu Zhi paused slightly, "Or rather, it's a field I've never ventured into."

Curiosity piqued, Zheng Baozhu asked, "Ah? What kind of field is so difficult for you?"

From childhood to now, she had never seen any subject that could trouble Qu Zhi and make him look so serious.

Qu Zhi said, "CP."

"Ahem, cough," Zheng Baozhu quickly grabbed a tissue, covered her mouth, and stood up from the table, pretending to be in a hurry, "I'm full now, see you later!"

She picked up her phone and hurriedly left. Qu Zhi watched her hurriedly depart and replied to Cen Tongtong, "There's nothing going on. Stop spreading rumors, quit the group to preserve your intelligence."

Cen Tongtong: ......Both of you are saying the same thing! And you said there's nothing going on!!

Qu Zhi: "......"

On Tuesday, Zheng Baozhu went to study with Teacher Ge as usual. This time, she brought some fruits from the orchard. Teacher Ge didn't charge her for tuition, but they could still enjoy the fruits.

The courtyard was particularly lively today. Besides Ge Hongyi, a few neighbors were sitting there chatting. Zheng Baozhu had been here a few times before, so she quickly greeted the neighbors around her. After entering the courtyard and seeing the people, she smiled and walked up to them, saying, "Aunt Wang, Cheng, you all seem so happy today. Did you come here to chat with Teacher Ge? Coincidentally, I brought some fresh fruits from the orchard this morning. Please try them."

Zheng Baozhu walked to the pavilion and placed the fruits on the table, giving each of them one. Aunt Wang and Cheng were delighted, and they praised her, "Our Baozhu is not only beautiful but also sweet, and she knows how to respect the elders."

"Yes, where can we find such a good girl?" Aunt Wang looked at her, squinting with a smile, "Baozhu, let me introduce you to a boyfriend. He works at the hospital. Although he's busy with work most of the time, he's really a good person, kind-hearted and capable, just like you!"

"Hey, Xiao Wang, is this kind-hearted and capable young man you're talking about your nephew?" Teacher Ge came out of the house, holding a box. Aunt Wang smiled apologetically and replied, "So what if he's my nephew? Although he is my nephew, everything I said just now was true. Baozhu, consider it, okay?"

Cheng added, "You can tell from Baozhu's qualities that she won't be interested in the boys who are chasing after her, let alone your nephew!"

"Let's have a fair competition, right, Baozhu?" Aunt Wang looked at Zheng Baozhu with a smile, "Tell me, what kind of boy do you like? Even if my nephew is not suitable, I can find someone else who's suitable for you."

Zheng Baozhu smiled at Aunt Wang, peeled an orange, and handed it to her, "Aunt Wang, right now, my mind is focused on studying and working. I don't want to date anyone."

"Oh, that won't do. Work is important, but you should also consider dating," Aunt Wang persisted and continued to promote her nephew, "How about this? I'll show you his picture later, and you can see if you two are a good match. Although he may not be as handsome as the male stars in the entertainment industry, he's decent-looking."

"Okay, that's enough. You didn't come here today to set Baozhu up on a blind date," Ge Hongyi placed the box he was holding on the table and sat on the chair. Zheng Baozhu curiously looked at the box and asked Ge Hongyi, "What's inside this box?"

Ge Hongyi smiled and said, "Aren't you young people into playing murder mystery games lately? Well, inside this box is a script I wrote myself for a murder mystery game. I invited you all to play the game together."

Zheng Baozhu's eyes widened, greatly surprised. Not only does Teacher Ge play murder mystery games, but he also wrote his own script??

"Surprised?" Ge Hongyi looked at her and smiled, "I created this script specifically to train students' acting skills, so the mechanisms might not be as complex, but it's designed to be challenging. During our classes, we want to mix education with entertainment."

Zheng Baozhu smiled and said, "Teacher Ge's teaching method is indeed creative. But it's just a few of us?"

The murder mystery game she played before required at least four players, and now they only had three, excluding Teacher Ge as the author.

"There's one more person, Xiao Ling. Oh, there she is!" Ge Hongyi pointed to the entrance. Zheng Baozhu followed his gaze and saw a young girl in a down jacket walking in. She wore black-framed glasses on her face and slightly bowed her head, looking somewhat timid.

"Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Ling, an illustrator—"

Xiao Ling interrupted him, "Teacher Ge, I'm not an illustrator. I'm just a sketch artist, earning a living by drawing."

"Alright, a sketch artist then. Come, sit here," Ge Hongyi gestured for her to sit beside Zheng Baozhu. Zheng Baozhu greeted her with a smile, but Xiao Ling seemed a bit nervous and only nodded slightly.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin," Ge Hongyi opened the box and took out four different character scripts, handing one to each of them, "I've assigned the characters. Take a look first. Xiao Cheng, do you remember the rules I told you before?"

"I remember, I remember," Cheng replied somewhat discontentedly, glancing at him, "Teacher Ge, I'm more than ten years younger than you. How dare you make me address you that way?"

Ge Hongyi chuckled, "Well, I'm just following Xiao Wang's lead. Should I also call you Xiao Cheng?"

Hearing their banter, Zheng Baozhu smiled and flipped open the script to read. The script revolved around the relationships between four neighbors, appearing harmonious on the surface but hiding undercurrents of tension. Each family seemed to be concealing something they didn't want others to know.

After reading for a while, Zheng Baozhu found that the script was surprisingly suitable for Aunt Wang and Cheng to play. No wonder Teacher Ge invited them.

Aunt Wang and Cheng were both first-timers in playing the murder mystery game, but due to the excellent scripts provided by Teacher Ge, their performances were so lifelike that Zheng Baozhu was impressed. It indeed verified the saying that experts arise from common people. These two were like hidden actresses among ordinary folks.

Though Xiao Ling didn't speak much, every time she opened her mouth, she hit the mark and even set the tone effortlessly. She was also a formidable player not to be underestimated.

Throughout the whole process, Zheng Baozhu struggled to survive. The script she got was the most difficult among the four, and her character was the most complex. Especially as the plot progressed, the layers of her character built up, and how to grasp the role and naturally present the character's depth was something Zheng Baozhu had to think about on her own.

When the voting ended, Zheng Baozhu barely escaped; Aunt Wang and Cheng couldn't believe they were deceived by her. They kept talking about it even as they left.

Zheng Baozhu quickly stuffed a few oranges into their hands.

Ge Hongyi observed the entire performance; during the debriefing, he pointed out some of Zheng Baozhu's issues and praised her strengths, "You have a precise understanding of the characters and have your own interpretations. That's your advantage. Acting requires actors to have their own insights. The theoretical knowledge we all learn is the same, but why do the final performances differ? It's because each person has a different understanding of the character, and each chooses different methods of interpretation. I can't judge who's right or wrong, but I can say that some people use the most suitable method, making their performance outstanding."